Matalib Uli al-Nuha fi Sharh Ghayat al-Muntaha
- Author died
- 1243 AH
- Editions
- al-Maktab al-Islāmī
Matalib Uli al-Nuha fi Sharh Ghayat al-Muntaha (Demands of the Possessors of Intellect in Explaining the Utmost Objective) is an extensive legal commentary in Hanbali jurisprudence by the Damascene mufti Mustafa al-Ruhaybani (1165–1243 AH / 1751–1827 CE; another report gives 1240 AH) . It serves as the sole complete commentary on Ghayat al-Muntaha fi al-Jam' bayna al-Iqna' wa-al-Muntaha, a late reference manual composed by Mar'i ibn Yusuf al-Karmi (d. 1033 AH / 1624 CE) that synthesizes two major works of late Hanbali law .
Background and Composition
The underlying text, Ghayat al-Muntaha, brought together the material of al-Iqna' by Musa al-Hajjawi (d. 968 AH) and Muntaha al-Iradat by Ibn al-Najjar al-Futuhi (d. 972 AH), alongside numerous independent legal inclinations (ittijahat) advanced by Mar'i al-Karmi . Prior to al-Ruhaybani, several scholars attempted to write commentaries on Ghayat al-Muntaha but left them incomplete: Ibn al-'Imad began an unfinished work; Isma'il al-Jara'i supplemented it up to the chapter on agency (al-wakalah) before his death; Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Afaliq (d. 1163 AH) wrote on the section spanning from sales (al-buyu') to reconciliation (al-sulh); and another commentary had reached the end of interdiction (al-hajr) . Al-Ruhaybani stated in his introduction that close colleagues requested him to compose a full commentary that would elucidate the text's obscurities while adhering to a single authoritative position verified by leading Hanbali authorities .
Method and Sources
In constructing his commentary, al-Ruhaybani primarily drew upon the established commentaries of Mansur al-Bahuti (d. 1051 AH) :
- When explaining passages originating from Muntaha al-Iradat, he integrated al-Bahuti's commentary on al-Muntaha .
- When explaining passages drawn from al-Iqna', he incorporated al-Bahuti's commentary on al-Iqna' (Kashshaf al-Qina') .
- When dealing with the independent legal inclinations (ittijahat) introduced by Mar'i al-Karmi, he often remarked that he had not found precedent for them among earlier Hanbali jurists (lam ajidhu li-ahad min al-ashab) .
Consequently, the work combined four foundational books—the two texts and their respective commentaries—together with Mar'i's additions . In addition to these compilations, al-Ruhaybani incorporated citations from al-Tanqih, al-Iqna', and al-Muntaha, pointed out unnoted divergences between al-Iqna' and al-Muntaha, and provided independent legal analyses . For instance, in his assessment of smoking tobacco, he concluded that it is disliked (makruh), agreeing with al-Bahuti and departing from Mar'i al-Karmi's view that it is permissible without dislike .
Reception and Scholarly Critique
The work was received as an authoritative late reference within the Hanbali school . The biographer Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Humayd praised it, remarking that al-Ruhaybani unlocked a complex text through thorough verification and that completing it was a distinctive merit, as previous scholars had failed to finish their attempts .
Later scholars offered critical assessments of aspects of its methodology:
- 'Abd al-Qadir ibn Badran observed that al-Ruhaybani largely juxtaposed al-Bahuti's two commentaries without substantial restructuring and often refrained from thoroughly investigating Mar'i's ittijahat, stopping at the observation that they lacked precedent among the authorities of the school .
- Hasan al-Shatti (d. 1274 AH) addressed these unresolved ittijahat in a dedicated treatise, Minhat Mawla al-Fath fi Tajrid Zawa'id al-Ghayah wa-al-Sharh (also known as Sharh Zawa'id al-Ghayah), where he defended Mar'i's positions, identified earlier jurists who held them, and resolved difficulties in both the base text and al-Ruhaybani's commentary, relying principally on the glosses of 'Uthman ibn Qa'id al-Najdi .
Manuscripts and Publication
Al-Ruhaybani penned the work in his own hand, with parts of the autograph manuscript bearing completion dates such as 1210 AH (including a copy preserved in the Yehuda Collection at Princeton University Library, MS 2988) . Historical descriptions record the work as occupying three large volumes, four volumes, or five volumes in manuscript form . The text was published in print in Damascus by al-Maktab al-Islami in 1381 AH / 1962 CE in six volumes .
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